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| Manila, Philippines |  Review on July 9, 2013: |
David & Diana R
Rating:  | Review Topic: IR-1/CR-1 Visa
Well it has certainly been a very difficult journey. My wife endured hundreds of hours waiting in lines, traveling back and forth to the province of her birth, filling out forms, blah, blah, blah...
Well today was the final VISA Interview at the US Embassy in Manila. I was there with her. We had literally 40 pounds of documents, photos, etc that we carried with us. It was a five step process in the embassy. Well they said five but if you count all the stuff outside there were a few more.
Step one: Hurray up and wait. It was like Disney Land. Our line would start to move and everyone would get excited. But then we would all be placed in another holding area. They expertly controlled hundreds, I would guess at least 800 or 900 people in all waiting to get in. , we were moved from one staging area to another at least five times like we were all cattle after having arrived to begin the process at 4:30 a.m. for her 6:15 a.m. appointment. Got in the building after passing through at least two metal detectors like airport. I, being an American just had to pass through one step of security. I guess they trust us Americans more at the embassy than others. Of course I had to show my US Passport but I got in the special door. "AMERICANS ONLY" First time I have felt kind of special in a long time in this arduous process.
Step two: Hurry up and wait some more. Once in we got into the nice air conditioned embassy. So we all sat in front of monitors that displayed random numbers that had no apparent rhyme or reason. In fact, after about 30 minutes embassy staffers came walking through explaining that the numbers being displayed do not appear to have any rhyme or reason so just everyone relax. Our numbers would eventually be called. Of course my wife had made some fast friends while we were outside in line, two girls she met in line that were also from Cebu. They both followed us in and got called and were almost done when I finally figured something had gone wrong. Many people were finishing that I knew had been in line behind us. So I approached an embassy employee and she looked at wife's passport and secret number, 6071. Within one minute we were called for the first window...
Step three: First window: Say hello to an embassy official at window #39 and give your fingerprints on the electronic machine.(BY THE WAY THERE ARE 75 WINDOWS, I KID YOU NOT! 75 WINDOWS.) Then he tells you to have a seat and wait for your number to come up on the board again.
Step four: Second window. See Filipino counsel that asks a few questions and checks to see that your papers are in order. She asks to see photos of our wedding, so Zoila pulls them out and the lady doesn't really want to see them, it's just one of the first tests that you endure, I guess. Then the Filipino reviewer asks me if I had brought my 2012 tax return with. Now I am about to lose it. I said no I did not . I had provided my 2009, 2010 and 2011. The timing was such that the NVC had never requested the 2012 documents so I just assumed they were not going to be needed. She acted as if I should have known to bring those along and I asked her if it was required and she said we will see when we meet with the American Counsel for her interview. Another test I hoped... Then she said sit down again and wait for your number to come back up on the board.
Step five: Our number comes up again, now we have to appear together in front of the American Counsel. A young Caucasian lady, looked like she was having a bad day of sorts. She asked my wife why she never had a birth certificate until just this year. My wife explains that her mother had passed away when she was a baby and her father passed away shortly thereafter. The American Counsel then says why didn't your step family take care of it. My wife explained that her adopted family simply did not have the financial means to travel back and forth to the province of my wife's birth so they never were able to accomplish it. The lady then turned to me. (After making a GIANT X on my wife's birth certificate with a red pen.) She asked me if I had been married before, I said yes once. She then asked if I had any children, I said yes three boys, all grownup now. She asked my wife if she had been married before and of course the response was no. Then the lady makes yet another GIANT X IN RED over our marriage certificate. I mean an X the size of the entire document. Now I am getting paranoid. The American counsel then looks at a few more documents making more giant RED X's.... which of course makes us more nervous. The entire interview with the American Counsel took all of 3 minutes. She then looks up at my wife and says the most beautiful words I have heard in years, "CONGRATULATIONS, YOUR VISA HAS BEEN APPROVED." My wife and I just wanted to shout for joy but we just thanked the lady for her help and wished her a nice day. We picked up our 40 pounds of documentation that was NEVER ASKED FOR and walked back to yet another seat to wait for our number to be called again.
Step six: Our number comes back up on the board. We almost missed it because we are so happy that her VISA has been approved. So now we go to window #71. The staffer there congratulates us again again and says her VISA has been approved and we should proceed to window #72.
Step 7: We go to window #72 and a Filipina there takes our delivery instructions for the VISA that we had filled out upon entering the building hours earlier. She said that's it. We can now leave. We chose to have the VISA held at the MOA 2GO location as that would be the fastest way to get it. They will text message her as soon as the VISA is at the Mall Of Asia location of 2GO. (Hopefully, this will occur in the next two or three business days)
The US Embassy was actually amazing at how they managed so many people. Everyone was very nice and professional. Most, well I take that back, all of the people applying were bound for the USA so it pains me when I see all of the illegal aliens in the US now that our current president wants to give amnesty to. And of course the few people here on Visa Journey that try to "Beat the process" by CHEATING.
All in all it was worth every hours and every bit of sweat. My beautiful wife and I will be leaving the Philippines together hopefully by Tuesday July 16.
There are so many people to thank here on Visa Journey for all of their advice and encouragement. I know I will miss a few and I apologize but Mahalo and Aloha to: DWHEELS73, Darnell, Gayle Blue, true_loves_journey, NDU26, let-it-be, Artisan, AngelJay, el&ken, greg&geri, joel&michelle, sjr09, ronzkie, and many other who I am sure I missed. If it had not been for all of your support I might never have gotten though this process. So thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. Now we are going to Disney Land....Star City to celebrate.
Aloha and Mahalo,
And I must say, ALOHA KE AKUA. (GOD IS LOVE)
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Consulate / USCIS Member Review #12288